بْنِ أَشْيَمَ ١ قَالَ: دَخَلْتُ عَلَى أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ عليه السلام فَسَأَلْتُهُ عَنْ مَسْأَلَةٍ فَأَجَابَنِي فَبَيْنَا أَنَا جَالِسٌ إِذْ جَاءَهُ رَجُلٌ فَسَأَلَهُ عَنْهَا بِعَيْنِهَا فَأَجَابَهُ بِخِلَافِ مَا أَجَابَنِي ثُمَّ جَاءَهُ رَجُلٌ آخَرُ فَسَأَلَهُ عَنْهَا بِعَيْنِهَا فَأَجَابَهُ بِخِلَافِ مَا أَجَابَنِي وَ أَجَابَ صَاحِبِي فَفَزِعْتُ مِنْ ذَلِكَ وَ عَظُمَ عَلَیَّ فَلَمَّا خَرَجَ الْقَوْمُ نَظَرَ إِلَيَّ فَقَالَ يَا ابْنَ أَشْيَمَ كَأَنَّكَ جَزِعْتَ قُلْتُ جَعَلَنِيَ اللَّهُ فِدَاكَ إِنَّمَا جَزِعْتُ مِنْ ثَلَاثِ أَقَاوِيلَ فِي مَسْأَلَةٍ وَاحِدَةٍ فَقَالَ يَا ابْنَ أَشْيَمَ إِنَّ اللَّهَ فَوَّضَ إِلَى سُلَيْمَانَ بْنِ دَاوُدَ أَمْرَ مُلْكِهِ فَقَالَ هذا عَطاؤُنا فَامْنُنْ أَوْ أَمْسِكْ بِغَيْرِ حِسابٍ وَ فَوَّضَ إِلَى مُحَمَّدٍ أَمْرَ دِينِهِ فَقَالَ ما آتاكُمُ الرَّسُولُ فَخُذُوهُ وَ ما نَهاكُمْ عَنْهُ فَانْتَهُوا فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ تَبَارَكَ وَ تَعَالَى فَوَّضَ أَمْرَهُ إِلَى الْأَئِمَّةِ مِنَّا وَ إِلَيْنَا مَا فَوَّضَ إِلَى مُحَمَّدٍ صلى اللّٰه عليه و آله فَلَا تَجْزَعْ.

Musa b. Ashyam says: I came in upon Imam al-Sadiq, peace be upon him, and asked him a question, and he answered. At that very moment a man came and asked the very same question of mine, and the Imam gave him an answer contrary to the answer he had given me. And another man came and the question was repeated word for word, and the Imam gave the third man an answer that differed from the answer given to me and to my companion. This was hard and frightening for me. After the people had gone the Imam said to me: You have grown impatient! I said: May I be your ransom! You gave three answers to one question! He said: Just as God left the matter of rule to the choice of Solomon son of David and said: "[We said:] This is Our gift, so bestow or withhold without reckoning"; and committed the matter of religion to Muhammad and said: "And whatever the Messenger gives you, take it; and whatever he forbids you, abstain from it" — so He has committed it to us too, as to Muhammad, may God bless him and his family. Do not be impatient.

بيان: هذا أحد معاني التفويض و هو أنه فوض اللّٰه إليهم بيان الحكم الواقعي في موضعه و بيان حكم التقية في محله و السكوت فيما لم يروا المصلحة في بيان شي ء و سيأتي تفصيله في كتاب الإمامة.

One of the senses of "delegation" is this: that God has committed to the fourteen infallible ones, peace be upon them, the statement of the real ruling in its proper place, and likewise that they should state the ruling of dissimulation in its proper place, and that where they do not see the benefit in stating something, they should keep silent. The detail and explanation of the matter will come shortly in the Book of the Imamate.

«33»- ير، بصائر الدرجات مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ عِيسَى قَالَ: أَقْرَأَنِي دَاوُدُ بْنُ فَرْقَدٍ الْفَارِسِيُّ كِتَابَهُ إِلَى أَبِي الْحَسَنِ الثَّالِثِ عليه السلام وَ جَوَابَهُ بِخَطِّهِ فَقَالَ نَسْأَلُكَ عَنِ الْعِلْمِ الْمَنْقُولِ إِلَيْنَا عَنْ آبَائِكَ وَ أَجْدَادِكَ قَدِ اخْتَلَفُوا عَلَيْنَا فِيهِ كَيْفَ الْعَمَلُ بِهِ عَلَى اخْتِلَافِهِ إِذَا نَرُدُّ إِلَيْكَ ٢ فَقَدِ اخْتُلِفَ فِيهِ فَكَتَبَ وَ قَرَأْتُهُ مَا عَلِمْتُمْ أَنَّهُ قَوْلُنَا فَالْزَمُوهُ وَ مَا لَمْ تَعْلَمُوا فَرُدُّوهُ إِلَيْنَا.

Basa'ir al-Darajat: Muhammad b. 'Isa says: Dawud b. Farqad al-Farisi read to me a letter he had written to al-Imam al-Hadi al-Naqi, peace be upon him, and the reply, which was in the Imam's own hand, peace be upon him, and its content was as follows: Tell us, out of the knowledge of your fathers, how we are to act upon differing narrations. The Imam had written in reply: What you know to be from us, hold fast to it; and what you do not know, refer back to us.

«34»- ير، بصائر الدرجات مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ عَبْدِ الْجَبَّارِ عَنِ ابْنِ أَبِي عُمَيْرٍ عَنْ إِبْرَاهِيمَ بْنِ الْفُضَيْلِ عَنْ عُمَرَ بْنِ يَزِيدَ قَالَ: قُلْتُ لِأَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ عليه السلام يَخْتَلِفُ أَصْحَابُنَا فَأَقُولُ قَوْلِي هَذَا قَوْلُ جَعْفَرِ بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ قَالَ بِهَذَا نَزَلَ جَبْرَئِيلُ.

Basa'ir al-Darajat: Muhammad b. Yazid says: I said to Imam al-Sadiq, peace be upon him: Our companions are in disagreement, but I say: This is the word of Ja'far b. Muhammad, peace be upon him. He, peace be upon him, said: For this very thing that I have said to you, Gabriel descended.

بيان: بهذا أي بما أقول لك أو بالتسليم الذي صدر منك.

By what I say to you, or by the submission that issues from you.